Cell Phone Companies Are Terrified Of New Jersey

New Jersey has had enough. The New Jersey Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee has proposed several bills directed at cell phone companies, once of which is called the “Wireless Telephone Consumer Protection Act.” It would require “full disclosure of service levels and fees and set standards for cell phone advertisements, contracts and billing,” according to the Star-Ledger.

The other proposals would require cell phone companies to prorate early termination fees, prohibit them from requiring the purchase of a new phone when a customer returns a defective phone not covered by warranty, and ban them from charging customers for calling 911.

“Cell phone providers act as though they can charge whatever they want, whenever they want,” said Assemblyman Michael J. Panter (D-Monmouth), the lead sponsor. “It’s time that cell phone users had the edge when dealing with rapidly expanding industry.”

The cell phone company lobbyists are against the legislation, claiming that voluntary consumer protection guidelines have been in place in their industry since 2003. They also claimed that legislation on the state level would increase costs nationwide. —MEGHANN MARCO